In 2019, 16% of opioid-related overdose deaths were also associated with benzodiazepines, a prescription sedative commonly prescribed for anxiety or insomnia.
One in ten American teenagers has tried benzodiazepines at least once in their life, according to a study surveying high school students in America. Of these 11,000 students, 7.5% of teenagers are taking the medication without a doctor’s prescription. On the other hand, almost 5% of benzodiazepines are prescribed for medical reasons.
What are benzodiazepines? What are benzodiazepines used for?
Benzodiazepines are minor tranquilizers with sedative effects that slow down body functions and relax muscles. Doctors often prescribe them to treat anxiety, panic disorders, and sleep problems.
Benzodiazepines work by increasing the effects of a chemical in the brain called GABA (gamma aminobutyric acid). GABA reduces brain activity in areas of the brain responsible for logical thinking, memory, emotional coordination, and essential functions, such as breathing.
How do benzodiazepines work?
After use, benzodiazepines increase the level of dopamine – neurotransmitters whose role is to create a feeling of excitement, inspiration, and a state of relaxation. Dopamine is an important part of your brain’s reward system.
Benzodiazepines are very effective for a short time, but they may stop working if your child takes the medicine continuously for more than a few months. This is because your brain adjusts to their effects and may be overly sensitive to the brain’s natural chemicals when they stop working.
That is why the more your child misuses benzodiazepines, the more dependent he or she becomes and the worse his withdrawal symptoms.
Benzodiazepines side effects on your child’s body
The most common side effects include:
- Asleep
- Confused, dizzy
- Stutter
- Muscle weakness
- Memory problems
- Nausea (feeling nauseous), dry mouth, blurred vision
Your child may experience some worse symptoms such as:
- Headache
- Low blood pressure
- Increased salivation
- Digestive disorders
- Vision problems
- Loss of bladder control
- Jaundice
- Breast development in men.
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Why are young people using Benzodiazepines?
According to research, there has been a significant increase in the use of benzodiazepines in adolescents – almost tripling in 10 years. About 1 in 10 American teenagers have tried benzodiazepines at least once in their life, according to a study surveying high school students in the United States. Of these 11,000 students, 7.5% of teenagers are taking the medication without a doctor’s prescription.
However, even among the students recommended by their doctor to take benzos, more than half did not take it as directed. They took benzos for longer than prescribed. Some of the symptoms of benzodiazepines addiction:
- Blurred vision, poor coordination, slower reflexes
- Slow heart rate, weak breathing
- Pale skin
- Fainting
- Diarrhea, vomiting, convulsions
When taken for a longer time, psychological symptoms may begin to appear.
- Depression
- Thoughts of suicide
- Irritability
- Mood swings
- Cognitive dysfunction
- Forgetful
The mood-enhancing effects of benzodiazepines are similar to those of opioids like heroin. However, even if your child is ready to stop using benzos, he or she will experience extremely painful and long-lasting withdrawal symptoms such as extreme pain, restlessness, extreme pain, and even pain. convulsions.
Where do teenagers buy Benzodiazepines?
It is evident that most teenagers take over-the-counter benzos and they sneak in from their parents. One study found a strong association between teenagers’ over-the-counter benzos use and their parents (especially mothers).
There are still many cases of illegally buying benzos through a colleague, drug dealer, or on the dark web. This has led to an increase in Xanax addiction – one of the most common benzos abuse drugs.
Besides teenagers who take benzos to get high, some also abuse benzos by inhalation to get better results, there are other teenagers who actually have an anxiety disorder, they try to treat themselves with benzos because they have heard that it is easy to stop using it.
However, this is also drug abuse because they do not use the drug according to the prescription and supervision of the doctor.
How can parents prevent the use of Benzodiazepines in the first place?
One of the first fundamental steps to stopping your child from reaching Bath Salt is to educate your child by having lots of intimate conversations with your child about substance use in general and benzos in particular. Start by asking your child’s point of view about benzos, listening to your child’s opinions and questions about benzos.
In addition to starting to talk about the topic earlier or constantly reminding your child over time, you also need to build a healthy, drug-free, stimulants-free environment and relationships around your child, such as:
- Get your child engaged in outside activities to sharpen their creativity, such as sports
- Involve your child in extracurricular programs to make them feel confident and valuable
- Let your child feel loved and have safe relationships
- Let your child know that they can talk to you if they face worries or problems in their life
However, to protect your child more effectively, you also need to protect the “behind” child by using content filtering tools like CyberPurify – in addition to filtering out malicious content such as porn, photos and videos. accidental gore photos, etc., it will notify you when your child is looking for information about drugs such as benzos and so that you can detect it in time, prevent unpredictable consequences like the extremely painful and prolonged withdrawal symptoms mentioned.
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